歪歪漫画

BEMIDJI 鈥� A community organizer and Rotary member Troy Fritz from St. Cloud visited the Noon Rotary Club on Monday to share about a project that could be replicated in Bemidji.

In addition to the usual Rotary club members, various city officials from Bemidji attended the April 11 presentation, including the city manager and three members of the Bemidji City Council.

Fritz shared his club鈥檚 project that created the St. Cloud Community Outpost, or COP House, which is a center that brings police officers to an area as community members who can provide services and get to know their neighbors.

鈥淚t鈥檚 embedding officers in the community and having them get to know people,鈥� Fritz said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e a lot more effective that way.鈥�

The first of its kind in Minnesota, St. Cloud鈥檚 COP House is the culmination of two years of work where the Rotary Club of St. Cloud partnered with the city鈥檚 police department and the Greater St. Cloud Public Safety Foundation to help address a troubled neighborhood that was experiencing high levels of crime.

Now the house is a central location in the community to gather. It provides health screenings, holiday events, clubs and different activities for adults, children and families.

鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of the glue that starts pulling people together,鈥� Fritz said. 鈥淥nce they were in the neighborhood, they didn鈥檛 want them to leave.鈥�

He shared that its presence has also increased local trust in law enforcement, since the police officers that staff the house are hand-selected and get to know the people in the community.

鈥淲hen problems start to develop, they know the people,鈥� Fritz said, 鈥渂ecause they know the neighborhood.鈥�

Despite the presence of police officers at the house, the center isn鈥檛 owned or operated by the police or the city. Instead, it鈥檚 operated by a board, which Fritz is a member of, that includes community representatives.

In addition to providing services and a space for community, one of the COP House鈥檚 primary goals is to provide a place for children with engaging activities that can help them keep from slipping through the cracks.

鈥淚f you don鈥檛 change the trajectory of some of these kids, then how can you expect different results,鈥� Fritz said.

Through its efforts to educate and empower members of the neighborhood, the COP House in St. Cloud has proved to be a valuable asset to the community. In a survey, 90% of the neighborhood saw it in a positive light, and the main change that people wanted was for it to provide more services.

Some members of the Bemidji Rotary Club toured the COP House and became interested in the potential for it to be replicated in the community, particularly in a neighborhood that has issues with higher crime rates.

鈥淐ertainly there鈥檚 a large population in this neighborhood that we鈥檙e looking at that could definitely use some more of that positive influence and relationship building in their lives,鈥� said Rotary member Andrea Kent.

Fritz provided advice for the club and anyone else who is looking to embark on a similar project.

鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to tailor it to your neighborhood and your needs,鈥� Fritz said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to start someplace and you鈥檝e got to get going.鈥�

Fritz also shared that the project in St. Cloud cost an estimated $400,000, with $75,000 provided by the city鈥檚 Rotary club.

鈥淲e just took a project that changed the way we thought of things,鈥� Fritz said. 鈥淣ow our club doesn鈥檛 think small anymore.鈥�

St. Cloud鈥檚 club raised this money in part through sponsoring a free concert series every summer where the club earns money through concessions. Each concert draws in around 10,000 people.

If Bemidji鈥檚 club is interested in pursuing a similar project, fundraising will have to be a key part of the planning.

While still in its very early stages of consideration, the presentation from Fritz gave the Bemidji Rotary Club resources and information on what might be needed to work on a similar community outpost.